Fire Board Satisfied With Representation

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30542, 10 September 1964, Page 18

Fire Board Satisfied With Representation

Insurance-company representation on fire boards was supported by all but one member of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board last evening after the chairman (Mr W. R. Campbell) had referred to a letter written by the secretary of the Federated Fire Brigades’ Association (Mr G. G. Walker) to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath).

“There are many inaccuracies in the statement, and it is almost libellous against some of you gentlemen,” Mr Campbell said before reading a press statement on the letter. Insurance companies had the right to nominate three members of a board except where there was a united board, such as in Christchurch, where they nominated a number to equal local body members, Mr Campbell said. “So he’s wrong there.” If the union secretary's statement was true, the board had done nothing to provide better facilities for the men or better fire protection, Mr Campbell continued. “So all the buildings, here at the new headquarters and in the suburbs, just haven’t done a thing." In nearly 20 years on the board he had never heard any recommendation from the chief fire officer on men or equipment rejected by the board, Mr Campbell said. “If this is true,” he said, waving a press clipping, “then you members who are not insurance people are failing in your duties. We’re told that we are not interested

in proper facilities or proper fire protection. Apparently four members have blocked them to obtain big profits.”

Mr W. E. Olds: I would not worry about it. Mr Campbell: I’m not. “Off-Side”

After saying he expected to be off-side, Mr A. A. Adcock said he had often wondered how democratic the fire board was. It had representatives of a bloc of persons holding a particular financial interest. He represented about 80,000 persons, but there were four representatives of insurance companies Mr Olds: You represent everyone, not just Waimairi and the other boroughs, once you come here. It was an unusual arrangement for one section of the community to have special representation, Mr Adcock continued. The contribution of the insurance companies came from the people who had insurance cover. The present constitution was not purely democratic. “It is based on financial interests rather than on people,” he said.

Had he found that fire protection had suffered in any way? Mr Campbell asked. “No,” Mr Adcock replied, “but on basic democratic principles fire boards should be

elected by the people or appointed by local authorities, not. by firms which hold a financial interest.” Mr T. E. Perkin: Well, let’s have a review of contributions. Fourth Arm “Turn the fire service over to the State and call it the fourth arm of the services,” Mr T. H. Boyle suggested. “We could have the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Fire Service.” Mr Campbell: It would save a lot of headaches. It would certainly stop a lot of talk of strikes. “We don’t come on the board as partisans,” Mr N. G. Pickering said. “We are here to serve the Metropolitan Fire Board area to the best of our ability.” From his experience on the board he could not agree with anything in the union secretary’s letter, Mr Pickering continued. He thought insurance companies should have representation. Mr Olds: Their whole interest is to stop fires. He was not reflecting on any representative, Mr Adcock said. He did not support many of the charges in the letter. Some of them were quite unreasonable. Mr Pickering: Not only unreasonable, but absolutely groundless. Mr E. G. McGrath said the writer of the letter had enjoyed his respect up to now. ‘but henceforth he does not.” Mr Campbell: He was instructed to write it. Mr McGrath: We’ve all had instructions like that. What I say stands. He has lost my respect. When Mr Campbell asked the board whether it wished to make a reply, Mr Pickering said: “It has all been answered tonight. If the press wish to report it well and good. If they don’t it’s still been answered.”